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Monday's Mailbag: The young guns; Bureaucrat wars

Published: Oct. 8, 2007

The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside Communications, Inc.

Bike stars, the next generation
Hey Velo,
At the bottom of your article on TaylorPhinney's recent gold in the pursuit, I saw the U.S. Nationals trackresults and noticed the name "Cody O'Reilly" from Santa Barbara winningthe silver in the men's scratch race.Gee, maybe that's Rory's son? Is this another wonderful legacyin the making?
Thanks!
Joe Fant
Los Gatos, CaliforniaGood catch, Joe. Cody is, indeed, the son of the legendary Rory O'Reilly.Not only are these two turning into spectacular riders in their own right,they’re making a lot of us feel really old.- EditorState of denial
Dear Velo
Marion Jones has given those of us in cycling a valuable lesson inthe School of Say It Ain't So, Joe (or Jones).A summary of that lesson goes something like this: the louder the cheatersprotest and the longer and harder they fight the charges, the more likelythey are to be guilty.If ever the fans needed an object lesson in the bitter reality thatsports cheaters are quite likely also to be liars, this is it. Andthat the lying can go on for years, if not forever, and in Marion's caseit would have, except for careful and relentless federal prosecutors whohave delivered the sweetest blow to track and field, and one that may wellreform it.Still believe Floyd Landis isn't stonewalling, after seeing an Olympicgold medalist go down in flames after seven years? Take the cottonout of your ears! Somewhere in the world there's a someone who gavehim the testosterone. Landis is only as far away from being nailedas that person's willingness to keep quiet. Of course, that personis quiet. That person has broken the law by delivering a controlledsubstance. Would that law enforcement had a lead!The second lesson the Marion Jones case teaches us is that sports federationscan only go so far. Until the fact of testing positive during orleading up to a sports competition is criminalized, new cheats will alwayscome along to replace the old.Apparently, cheaters don't mind taking a chance on a two-year suspension.How about two years in jail? Still interested?
Jane Kyle
Portland, OregonAny takers?
Dear editors,
One major side effect of cycling’s doping scandals has been tragicallyoverlooked. How does all this affect the betting which occurs on the majorraces? Exactly when is the finish to a race declared “final” and accountssettled? Did punters who wagered on Oscar Pereiro to win the Tour de Francenow show up at the tout boards outside Belgian cafés to collect?I think VeloNews should dispatch an investigative reporter armedwith a thick wad of Euros to probe doping’s influence on this other seamyside of cycling’s underbelly. I would suggest sending O’Grady assuminghe could distance himself long enough from the local brews to place a fewbets and pen some coherent lines.
Robert Hilton
Sugar Land, TexasWe’ll send him as soon as we find someone who, in June of that year,actually bet on Pereiro to win the 2006 Tour. - EditorThe pledge
Editor,
Could you please tell me how Bettini can simply say "No" to a rulethat states he must sign a consent before racing, and still be allowedto race?!I think the guy is a great cyclist, but come on. I can't evenget by with riding a charity ride without signing the consent form!I either sign it, or I don't ride. Period.Who exactly makes these rules, and moreover who is enforcing them?
Brian D. Kuhl
Huntersville, North CarolinaThe pledge form in question began as a requirement for entry intothis year’s Tour de France. The decision to sign was described as voluntary,but those who did not sign were not invited to participate in the Tour.Bettini, having ridden in the Giro d’Italia and with plans to ride in theVuelta a España, wasn't even planning to ride in the Tour.– EditorAre we not men?
Dear Velo,
Are the heads of cycling (UCI, ASO, etc.) grown men or are they childrenfighting over a sandbox? Get real little children. Sack it up and get tothe table and hammer out the ProTour beef like real men in spandex woulddo.Maybe a race between the heads of the argument would be a great wayto see who makes the calendar. Ohhhh...now that would be tasty! No radiosand wool jerseys too!What exactly was this "ProTour" supposed to accomplish anyway? Heartache?Lost jobs? Division of our sport? How about a show of hands for who isbehind it? Okay, one, two...no sorry, not two, that was a question fromthe audience.Get on your bike and have a good time.
Darrin Ezell
Austin, TexasRealistic, not negative
Editor,
I have to agree with the majority of your published letters on theTour of America. It seems most cyclists and fans are in accordanceon the ideas that:1) Too long of a race means less interest from potential new fans.Even some of us who love to watch bike racing have a difficult time followingthree full weeks each of the Giro, the Tour and the Vuelta. (We needto get out and ride every now and then, c'mon!) One bicycle racefor 30 days won't work well with our short-attention-span culture.2) Trying to push 16 days of 200 miles or more - not to mentionseven days over 150 miles is just asking for injury, doping, and unnecessarystrain on the world's elite cyclists.3) Outside of the recent scandals, there is a tremendous amountof respect for the current grand tours and a lot of the pros talk aboutwhat an accomplishment it is just to finish one. Why must we alwaysmake a "mega" out of everything? (Think over-sized houses, cars,food portions, waistbands, it's rarely a good idea...)4) Money for bike racing in this country should be used to promoteand support the wonderful Tour of California, Tour de Georgia and Tourof Missouri. I was lucky enough to attend the two California tours(fantastic) and I've heard the Missouri race was very well supported.One of the VeloNews letters spoke about the brave folks who areattempting to assemble this monster race.; and why shouldn't we give thema chance? They're chasing the American dream... etc.
Those of us who disagree aren't being negative (well, maybe a little).We're just trying to discourage the architects of yet another titanic ideathat is probably best left on the drawing board.
Georg Egloff
Los Angeles, California




The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside Communications, Inc.